Gov. Ron DeSantis on Tuesday expanded the state of emergency to include 49 counties in Florida, up from 46 on Monday, readying for Hurricane Idalia’s landfall. That’s about three-quarters of the counties in the entire state.
Additionally, at least 22 counties have issued evacuation orders in certain low-lying and vulnerable areas, DeSantis said Tuesday as he warned the public to seek shelter.
If the hurricane arrives during high tide, storm surge could reach 8-12 feet in some areas, DeSantis said. High tide along the coast varies, as does the storm’s predicted arrival time.
“If you’re there in that storm surge, you’re putting your life in jeopardy,” he said. “Please heed those orders. You don’t have to leave the state. You don’t have to go hundreds of miles, you can go to a shelter in a different part of your county, go to a friend’s house in an area that is not going to be susceptible to the storm surge, or a hotel — all these things are good to do.”
The storm is forecast to make landfall Wednesday morning in the Big Bend region on Florida’s Gulf coast as a Category 3 storm. In an 11 a.m. update, wind speeds were forecast to reach 125 mph at landfall and 65 mph inland. The National Hurricane Center has issued a hurricane warning from Sarasota County north through Franklin County in the panhandle.
The counties under a state of emergency:
Alachua, Baker, Bay, Bradford, Brevard, Calhoun, Charlotte, Citrus, Clay, Collier, Columbia, DeSoto, Dixie, Duval, Flagler, Franklin, Gadsden, Gilchrist, Gulf, Hamilton, Hardee, Hernando, Hillsborough, Jefferson, Lafayette, Lake, Lee, Leon, Levy, Liberty, Madison, Manatee, Marion, Nassau, Orange, Osceola, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, Putnam, Sarasota, Seminole, St. Johns, Sumter, Suwannee, Taylor, Union, Volusia, and Wakulla counties.
Also, the Florida Division of Emergency Management on its website has listed the counties under mandatory or voluntary evacuation orders.
DeSantis noted that Visit Florida has activated the emergency accommodations module with Expedia to provide real-time availability of hotel rooms throughout the state.
He suggested going to to find rooms.
In anticipation of evacuations, the Florida Department of Transportation has waved tolls in affected counties as of 4 a.m. Tuesday.
DeSantis has repeated in several news conferences that if residents in the path of the storm should expect to lose power. Heavily wooded areas inland are particularly susceptible, as inland winds could reach 80 mph. He said that there are 25,000 linemen stationed for powerline repair, with more coming in from out of state.
The state has staged 420,000 gallons of fuel for gas stations in affected areas. As of Tuesday morning, there were 20 shelters open, and an additional 20 special needs shelters on standby.
There were 5,500 national guardsmen activated, and the state has 580 search-and-rescue personnel on hand.
Forty-two school districts have closed school, as have 16 state colleges and seven Florida universities.
The Florida Department of Transportation has 220 cut-and-toss crew members at the ready, so as to clear roadways of debris, and they have staged 1,100 generators in order to power traffic lights.
Emergency Management Director Kevin Guthrie said, “Even if you’re not in the cone, it doesn’t mean you’re in the clear,” noting that the storm surge warnings extend well beyond the cone, which merely predicts the potential path of the center of the storm.
He also urged residents to not leave pets behind, noting that there are pet-friendly shelters available.
The state assistance information line, 800-342-3557, offers information on preparation, road closures and open shelters.
For advice on hurricane planning, go to
For updates on evacuation statuses and shelters go to
For an overall guide to handling hurricanes, go to .
